Last Second Layup in Overtime Lifts Lycoming Over Wilkes Men's Basketball
WILLIAMSPORT, PA – Steven Hamilton would drive down the paint and score on a layup with .6 seconds in overtime to help Lycoming College beat the Wilkes University men's basketball team 69-67 in Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom (MAC Freedom) action on Thursday night action inside the Lamade Gym.
Wilkes would fall to 10-8 on the year and 5-4 in the MAC Freedom while Lycoming would go 12-7 this season and 7-3 in the conference.
The first half began with both teams getting buckets early on as Trent Fisher (Sellersville, PA/Pennridge) hit two layups to keep the game at 4-4 three minutes into the half, earning four of his 20 points early in the matchup. The Colonels then would take the lead on a 7-2 run with Fisher, Cayden Merrifield (Scranton, PA/West Scranton), and Drake Marshall (Gainesville, VA/Patriot) making jumpers while Joey Zvorsky (New Cumberland, PA/Cedar Cliff) made his shot from beyond the arc to get Wilkes up 13-6.
After Dyson Howard made a three for the Warriors, Fisher would make another layup to keep Wilkes up ahead. But Lycoming would keep at the lead, as Steven Hamilton would convert on another shot from beyond the arc to pull them within three points 15-12. Marshall would get fouled and make both free throws to keep Wilkes ahead, with the game continuing the back-and-forth scoring from Colin Ackerman (Manasquan, NJ/Wall Township) for the Colonels and Mo Terry for Lycoming to make the game 21-16.
After another Howard three, Lucas Lesko (Northampton, PA/Northampton) hit a jumper to make the score 23-19. Marvin James made one of his two free throws, Lesko would make another layup to stay ahead 25-20 with 5:52 left in the first half. Lycoming would begin to find its groove, going on a 16-2 run to go into the half with a 36-27 lead.
The second half would see Fisher score four points on back-to-back layups to get Wilkes closer to Lycoming, but a Manuel shot and Howard three would give the Warriors a double-digit lead. After trading buckets with each other, Lycoming would get on a 7-2 run and keep a comfortable lead over the Colonels 49-37.
Jason Eberhart (Lebanon, PA/Cedar Crest) would convert on a layup and-one play with Jack Argento (Hershey, PA/Hershey) making a three to cut Lycoming's lead to nine with 12:05 left in the game. After Isaiah Valentine hit one free throw, Fisher would make a layup and Merrifield hitting a three to make the game 53-48. The Warriors would not let the lead go easily as Howard would hit his own three to answer for Lycoming and make it a double digit lead again.
The Colonels would go on a 12-0 run as Marshall would score five of those points, with Eberhart hitting a jumper and Merrifield making another three to give Wilkes a 60-56 lead with 4:48 left in the game. Lycoming would retake the lead as they would go on a 6-0 run with Mo Terry and Hamilton free throws to tie the game, then Valentine would make an open layup under the basket with less than a minute left to play. Merrifield would tie the game on a layup to make it 62-62 with :41 seconds left on the clock. Howard would try to hit a jumper with a second left, but Fisher got the rebound and the second half would end up tied, sending both teams into overtime.
Overtime would begin with Lycoming scoring first as Hamilton would make his shot 1:19 into the extra period to make the score 64-62 for the Warriors. Fisher would respond with his fastbreak layup to tie the game, but Hamilton would keep up the scoring for Lycoming as he hit a three with 2:06 left into overtime.
Argento would get fouled and make one of his two free throws, and eventually Fisher would tie the game with a layup with 24 seconds left in the period, hoping to send it into double overtime. After a Lycoming timeout, Hamilton would finish his scoring barrage in overtime as he made all seven points in overtime for the Warriors as he would drive down the paint and make his layup with .6 seconds left to give them the win over Wilkes and push them ahead in the MAC Freedom standings.
Wilkes would shoot 48.2% from the field, making 29-59 shots in the game. They would go 4-of-13 from beyond the arc, shooting 30.8% from three and go 5-17 form the free throw line. Lycoming made 24-of-71 shots as they were 33.8% from the field, with 27.3 percent from three (9-27), and 52.2% from the free throw line as they would make 12 of their 23 attempts.
Fisher would have a double-double on the night, scoring 20 points and getting 10 rebounds on the night while blocking three shots and earning two steals. Marshall followed suit with 13 points and seven rebounds while leading the Colonels in assists with four. Merrifield finished the double digit scoring with 10 points for Wilkes, adding three assists and three rebounds in conference action.
The Colonels will have a short week ahead of them as they return home to host Stevens Institute of Technology in MAC Freedom action on Saturday, January 28 at 3:00 p.m. inside the Marts Center.
